Vrati
Baba was a sage of the Himalayas in the truest sense of the
word, being an adept of the highest of the Tantras. He was
Baba of the most sacred Kalimath for many decades.

Vrati Baba and
Swami Rama were friends and spiritual brothers for even longer.
During their earlier years they roamed the secret, sacred places
of the Himalayas together. While Swami
Rama went to the West, Vrati Baba guided from within, from this
sacred hermitage in the Himalayas.

The village of
Kalimath is about 6,000 feet above sea level, along a tributary
to the Ganges. It is accessible by the foot bridge shown in the
picture.

Kalimath
is in the Himalayas, at the red dot on the map, in Northern
India, within 30 miles of the Tibet/China border.

It
is about a 6-7 hour drive from Rishikesh, and is near the area
of Kedarnath and Jyotimath, on the way to Badrinath.

This
area of the Himalayas is said to be one of the most spiritually
vibrant areas for meditation in the Himalayas, and in the world. Of those
places, Kalimath is among the most potent, having the force of
shakti, as well as an ancient
history of saints doing their meditations there.

Photo:
Vrati Baba, Swami Jnaneshvara, and Ma Jyoti in Kalimath, 40 days
before Vrati Baba cast off his body on November 19, 2000.

On November 10,
2000 Vrati Baba announced that he was going to leave his body,
and that he was passing on his legacy to two
people, both disciples of his brother, Swami Rama. Vrati Baba's
spiritual gifts were most lovingly bequeathed to
Dandi Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, a native of USA who had been in
Rishikesh, India for over five years, and Ma Jyoti Chetanya of
Dehra Dun and Haridwar, India.

After
Vrati Baba had cast off the body,
a ritual and bandhara celebration was held, in which over 1,000 people
were given the offering of a meal to
commemorate the event of Mahasamadhi. (When a saint casts
off the body, it is called Mahasamadhi, the Great Samadhi)

In the photo
are some of the village children from Kalimath on the day of the
celebration. Behind them is the Samadhi shrine built for the
body of Vrati Baba.

During
the Mahasamadhi celebration, Ma Jyoti and Swami Jnaneshvara are
in the shrine, along with three local pandits who are
performing the rituals.

Vrati Baba is
buried directly under Swami Jnaneshvara. The body is positioned
in meditation posture, as is the custom with a saint.

The
Samadhi shrine is now a quiet and sacred place for spiritual
practices, with only the sounds of silence, the sacred, and the
flow of the river.

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This site is devoted to
presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of
the Tradition of the Himalayan masters
in simple, understandable and beneficial ways, while not compromising
quality or depth. The goal of our sadhana or practices is the highest
Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the
center of consciousness, the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is
one and the same with the Absolute Reality.
This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the Yoga
Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the
intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which
complement one another like fingers on a hand.
We employ the classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti
Yoga, as well as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha,
and Tantra Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer
finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final
stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the
Absolute.